Molecular recognition (also called a binding event) is fundamental to every cellular event: transcription, translation, signal transduction, viral and bacterial infection and immune response are all mediated by selective recognition events. Thus, developing a better understanding of detecting the binding events of molecules is of significant importance.
Typical methods for carrying out on-chip analyte detections include: optical tagging (fluorescence, visible, IR, Raman), radiometric (various radioactive tag), and indirect electrochemical methods of detection (tagging with enzymes that generate charges that can be measured).
In addition, on-chip manufacturing of polymer arrays also offers the ability to create huge arrays of bio-polymers quickly and efficiently. These arrays offer huge potential in advancing the capabilities of bio-pharmaceutical drug discovery and basic academic bioresearch.